ipl-logo

1984 George Orwell Ignorance Essay

798 Words4 Pages

George Orwell is a well-known and respected author from the 20th century. 1984 is one of Orwell's’ most famous and controversial books, being banned in schools around the United States due to political conflict, as well as sexual content. The book is about a character named Winston who lives in a society where the government is modeled as one person (Big Brother) and is the leader of the people. Big Brother controls the people's thoughts, actions, and the society in which they live in. Everyone is under constant surveillance and the nation is involved in an ongoing war. If the people go against what big brother tells them they have committed a thought crime and are taken by the thought police and vaporized after being tortured. Winston our …show more content…

The people do not know anything so therefore it is common sense to stick to what you know. When Winston received Goldstein’s book chapter 1. Ignorance is Strength showed how ignorance removes power from the people in order to maintain control. For example the people do not know there is a plenty of food to go around for everyone, that people do not have to starve but withholding the food makes people rely on the government for what little they do receive, and it makes the government look like it is doing everything in its power to help out its people (Orwell 152). Also the people are not allowed to meet other people from who they are supposed to be at war with because then the people will see how alike they are and gain consciousness in that way. Ignorance keeps the people stable, if they do not all know the truth then they will not be able to draw conclusions and potentially take down the government. Fear of the government keeps people in line and those who are conscious of their thoughts do not express them out loud or else they too will be vaporized. It is easier to pretend and play along, rather than to speak up and face the consequences. Also speaking to the public Fear of being seen causes everyone to act orderly , fear of being hated and not heard keeps people quiet, and fear of the unknown keeps people locked together in an orderly fashion doing what they are

Show More
Related

  • Similarities Between '1984 And Anthem'

    1361 Words  | 6 Pages

    From a young age, humans learn that truth comes from authority. This concept is addressed in the dystopian novels 1984 by George Orwell and Anthem by Ayn Rand when they convey the possibilities of a totalitarian society. The controlling governmental figure in 1984, Big Brother, uses psychological torture to convince his citizens that life is better when he is in charge. In Anthem, the society has reverted to times before electricity and everyone is convinced through their loss of information that individual thought, even if it is to advance society, is dangerous. Regardless of both novels differing, they are unified through their author’s warning that the destruction of individualism by the government can quell the growth and progress of humankind.

    Read More

  • Fahrenheit 451: An Analysis

    416 Words  | 2 Pages

    Some people get distracted and they go with the flow of society but people need to stop and go with their own flow. “We must all be alike. Not everyone born free and equal, as the constitution says, but everyone made equal”(Bradbury 58). The quote speaks for itself in the sense that it says everyone is made equal but not everyone is born free. Uneducated, self- absorbed, and distracted citizens are necessary for totalitarian governments to control their citizens.

    Read More

  • Oceania's War

    1008 Words  | 5 Pages

    The only thing that this can bring by being followed by the people is to be submissive and nothing else. Finally ignorance is strength is useful to the party because to the people “ignorance is bliss” and they have nothing to worry about though it gives the Party complete control. This is proven effective when it is said that the party raises the price of chocolate and then the very next day it is lowered and the public acts as if it was never even

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Control In George Orwell's 1984

    796 Words  | 4 Pages

    George Orwell’s 1984 is a precautionary tale of what happens when the government has too much control in our lives. The protagonist, Winston Smith, is at odds in a world in which he is not allowed to counter the government’s surveillance and control. Perhaps more striking is the noticeable relationship between the novel and modern society. In George Orwell’s novel 1984 the book predicts the surveillance of Big Brother in modern day societies.

    Read More

  • Individualism In Fahrenheit 451

    249 Words  | 1 Pages

    It may not be as severe but many governments still keep people from knowledge like the government in Fahrenheit

    Read More

  • Theme Of Ignorance In Brave New World

    970 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Unknown Ignorance is bliss. What you don't know can't hurt you. Not understanding the difference between what is bad or good, means that nothing really can be considered bad. But ignorance comes with a lot of complications. Ignorance is an important element in dystopian societies because an ignorant society won't question their government, ignorant people are easier for the government to manipulate, and ignorance also allows societies to be happy without knowing.

    Read More

  • North Korea And 1984 Comparison Essay

    552 Words  | 3 Pages

    They do not want people to be smart or able to think for themselves. One of their slogans is “Ignorance is strength” because they don’t want the people to be intelligent (Orwell

    Read More

  • A Critical Analysis: Ambulance Down The Valley

    1649 Words  | 7 Pages

    The essence of decision making – and, in turn, the essence of politics – is compromise: compromise in both positive and negative aspects of a possible solution. And in every decision- making process, the most efficient way may not be the one that is most followed. People may follow suit to others, depending on their beliefs, on their personal inclinations, and their opinions on the matter. And yes, these idiosyncrasies in every individual eventually show themselves as they decide on the matter as a whole. Less-informed people, on that matter, are more likely to choose a less efficient solution, yet there are exceptions for both parties: more informed people are also likely to give out more convoluted solutions to simple problems.

    Read More

  • Ignorance In Brave New World

    541 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ignorance is bliss. Often people hide behind what they wish to believe. The truth demands discomfort and people prefer comfort to truth.(Compound) In this world of conditioning, the Controllers keep any kind of truth from the people. Regardless, very few actually attempt to discover the truth.

    Read More

  • 1984 Theme Essay

    1559 Words  | 7 Pages

    In the novel 1984, by George Orwell, he uses truth and reality as a theme throughout the novel to demonstrate the acts of betrayal and loyalty through the characters of Winston and Julia. Orwell expresses these themes through the Party, who controls and brainwashes the citizens of Oceania. The party is able to control its citizens through “Big Brother,” a fictional character who is the leader of Oceania. Big Brother is used to brainwash the citizens into whatever he says. Orwell uses truth and reality in this book to reflect on what has happened in the real world such as the Holocaust and slavery.

    Read More

  • 1984 Literary Analysis Essay

    765 Words  | 4 Pages

    This is a literary analysis on the novel 1984 by George Orwell. 1984 is a more recent classic dystopian novel. Written in 1949, it's based in the future year of what is presumed to be 1984. It focuses on the life of Winston Smith, a member of the newly established Party that rules over a territory called Oceania and that is led by a man called Big Brother. This novel provides a rather frightening insight into a dystopian socialist environment.

    Read More

  • Illusion Of Knowledge In George Orwell's Book 1984

    1277 Words  | 6 Pages

    “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge” - Stephen Hawking. People tend to believe they know more than they really do. They turn to the news, books, music, or even art to learn about the world surrounding them. What people don’t understand is everything you learn from the media is being told by another person just like yourself. Someone with feelings and emotions and most likely a different opinion and agenda than most people.

    Read More

  • Memory Holes In George Orwell's 1984

    1738 Words  | 7 Pages

    As the world watched World War II emerge as one of the biggest wars in the history of the universe, George Orwell wrote 1984 to criticize the totalitarian approach of the socialist leaders in countries like Germany and the U.S.S.R. The book was written in 1948 when the act of communism became a dangerously threatening type of government to the citizens all over the world. In 1984, Winston, the main character of the novel, reflects on London’s dystopian society by creating his own diary, which is an act that brings him immense threat to the quality of his life. Even today, many citizens face the same types of situations that Winston experiences throughout the book. There are obvious parallels between the novel and America in 2016 in concepts

    Read More

  • 1984 Totalitarianism

    884 Words  | 4 Pages

    In 1984, George Orwell depicts a dystopian society pervaded by government control and the obsolescence of human emotion and society. Winston is forced to confront the reality of a totalitarian rule where the residents of Oceania are manipulated to ensure absolute government control and servitude of the people. The theme of totalitarianism and dystopia is employed in 1984 to grant absolute power to the government and ensure the deference of the people through the proliferation of propaganda, the repudiation of privacy and freedom, and the eradication of human thought and values. The repudiation of privacy and independent thought and the ubiquity of government surveillance is employed to secure absolute power to the government over the populace

    Read More

  • What Is Realism In 1984 By George Orwell

    1056 Words  | 5 Pages

    The novel 1984 by George Orwell reveals the destruction of all aspects of the universe. Orwell envisioned how he believes life would be like if a country were taken over by a totalitarian figure. Nineteen eighty-four effectively portrays a totalitarian style government, in which elected representatives maintain the integrity of a nation with very little citizen participation in the decision-making process of the legislative body. Although the authors ideas are inherently and completely fictional, several concepts throughout his book have common links to today’s society which is somehow a realist perspective. Orwell integrates devices such as irony, satire, and motifs to illustrate the life unfulfilling life of Winston Smith.

    Read More

More about 1984 George Orwell Ignorance Essay

Open Document